Vibratory parts feeder



April 29, 1958 F. E. SMITH 2,832,464

' VIBRATORY PARTS FEEDER INVENTOR.

BVZM ZM April 29, 195s F. E. SMITH 2,832,464

VIBRATORY PARTS FEEDER Filed Aug. 3. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

W Srwentor FMX/M United States Patent VIBRATORY PARTS FEEDER Floyd E. Smith, Erie, Pa. Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. 371,983 8 Claims. (Cl. 198-220) This invention relates to sorting machines and more particularly to the vibratory type of sorting machines for a large number of articles of manufacture and dressing them into position preparatory to a manufacturing operation.

Sorting machines, such as that shown in British Patent 279,119 issued in 1927, have been known for a considerable length of time; however, these sorting machines and conveyors were usually made with support springs utilizing the elect of bending deflection and disadvantages have been discovered incident to and inherent in this design thereof.

It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to over come the above and other defects in previous sorting machines and more particularly an object of my invention to provide a novel type of sorting machine which will be simple-in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple to use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel type of spring support in a vibratory sorting machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sorting machine having spring supports thereto which utilize both a torsional and a bending elfect in the spring itself.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a novel combination of a sorting machine with a solenoid actuating member in connection therewith.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood 4that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacriticing any of the ladvantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a sorting machine according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side cross sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram for an operating device for a conveyor or sorting machine;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the connecting means for connecting the spring supports to the base in my invention;

Fig. 5 is a side View of the connecting means shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of a circuit for controlling the vibration of the machine.

Now with more specic reference to the drawings, in Figs. 1 and 2, I show a vibrating machine 1 having a hopper 2 supported by spring members 3, 4, and 5 on a base 6. The springs 3, 4, 'and 5 are U-shaped having the intermediate portion 7 and the end portions 8 and 9.

The hopper 2 is made up of the bottom 10 and the cylindrical upstanding side portion 11 which comprises the trough or tract 12 which is spiral when viewed from above the bottom thereof and is inclined upward in a helical path. The hopper 2 may be provided with the l., 2,832,464 Patented Apr; 29, 1958 required number of bales and troughs for the particular requirement of an individual job or the trough could be extended in a multiplicity of turns and at greater angles to form a conveyor.

Blocks 14 are secured to the bottom 10 of the hopper 2 at 15 by welding or brazing and the blocks 14 hold the ends 8 of the spring members to the ybottom of the vibratory hopper 2. The brackets 17 are generally shaped to surround the ends 8 of the spring members 'and to clamp them rigidly against rotation relative to the members 14. The brackets 17 are held thereto by means of bolts 20 which pass through holes 21 in the brackets 17 and threadably engage the members 14 at 22. In like manner, the brackets 24 surround the ends 9 on the spring members and hold them against movement 'and rotation relative to the base 6. t

The hopper 2 may be supported on three or'more spring supports 3, 4, and 5 and it will be apparent that when the hopper 2 is moved toward'the base 6, the ends of the spring members 3, 4, and 5 Will be twisted; that is,

the intermediate part 7 will be subjected to bending and a torsional reaction will result in the ends 8 and 9. In this manner, the hopper 2 will be both moved toward the base 6 axially and, at the same time, it will be rotated.

It will be apparent that this oscillatory and rotative movement of the hopper 2 is very rapid, that the parts or articles held therein will be thrown toward the outer edge of the hopper member 2 into the trough 12, and they will move upward along the inclined path 13; that is, the hopper 2 will move down and backward ,from each article; then, as the article drops down to meet it, the hopper 2 will move up and forward, movingthe' article, then drop out from under the article and move backward again and pick the article up again and move in Fig. 6 which is similar to that shown in Patent No.

1,918,456 or the circuit may be simplified to a simple rectifier circuit by supplying pulsating A.. C. to the solenoid 30 as shown in Fig. 3.

The solenoid 30 for operating the sorting device has a main frame 31 attached to the base 6 at 32Y by welding or brazing and the frame 31 extends upwardly at 33 to form an armature for the solenoid 34. The solenoid 34 reacts on the movable core 35 which is attached to the 'bottom 10 of the hopper 2 at 36 to be moved therewith. It will be apparent that when the solenoid 34 of the solenoid 30 is excited, a magnetic field will be set up so that lines of magnetic force ilow through the parts 37 and 33 of the armature and through the core 35, tending to pull the core 35 downward to the solenoid 30, thus pulling the hopper 2 downward against the force of the springs 3, 4, and 5. It will be apparent that the frequency of movement of the solenoid 30 will be exactly equal to the frequency of the line A. C. which is supplied to the solenoid 30.

In Fig. 6, l show a source of A. C. 40 flowing through a primary 41 of a transformer 42 and being induced into the secondary 43 thereof to flow through the wire 44, through the coil 45 on the solenoid 34, through the plate 46 of the tube 46a, through the cathode 47, and through the adjustable resistor 48 through the wire 49 back to the secondary 43 in a conventional manner. The grid 56 is attached between the bridge made up of the fixed resistor S1 and the variable resistor 52. It will be obvious that by adjusting the variable resistor 52, the potential of the grid 50 relative to the cathode 47 can be varied to control the amplitude of the current as supplied to the solenoid 30 and, therefore, control the amplitude of vibration of the hopper 2. The device may be operated at the natural frequency of vibration in order to get greater amplitude and, lif desired, it may be operated at a frequency different from the natural. in order to keep 'better control of the sorting operation.

In Fig. 3, I show a circuit similar to that shown in Fig. 6; however, the grid circuit and controlling resistors 51 and 52 have been omitted and the control of the amplitude is obtained by varying the resistor 4S.

In the foregoing speeiiication, l have set forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but I am aware that the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an cxv elusive property or privilege is claimed are dened as follows:

1. A sorting device comprising a cylindrical hopper having a helical trough disposed therein, said hopper' being supported on springs, said springs being U-shaped and one end of the U-shaped springs non-rotatably attached to the hopper and the other end thereof attached to a base, the ends of said springs being disposed gen `erally radially of said hopper.

2. A sorting device comprising a cylindrical hopper having a helical trough disposed therein, said hopper being supported on springs, said springs being U-shaped and one end of the U-shaped springs attached to the hopper and the other end thereof attached to a base, the ends of said springs being disposed generally radially of said hopper and a solenoid fixed to the base and having an armature attached to the hopper and adapted to be actuated by a pulsating electrical current whereby said device is vibrated.

3. A sorting device comprising a cylindrical hopper having a helical trough disposed therein, said hopper being supported by three springs, said springs being U-shaped and one end of the U-shaped springs attached to the hopper at spaced locations and the other end thereof attached to a base, the ends of said springs being disposed generally radially of said hopper, and vmeans to exert an axial force on said hopper.

4. A vibratory sorting machine comprising a generally cylindrically shaped hopper having a helical trough disposed therein, said .hopper being supported on a base by means of U-shaped springs, said U-shaped springs having their ends disposed' radially of said hopper, one end of each said spring being xed to said hopper at a point Cil '4 spaced from'the intermediate part of the spring and the other end of each spring being attached to a tixed base at a point on said spring spaced from the intermediate part of the spring.

5. A vibratory sorting machine comprising a hopper having a helical trough disposed therein, said helical trough being inclined upwardly, said hopperbeing supported on a base by means of U-shaped springs, said U-shaped springs having their ends disposed radially of said hopper, one end of each said spring being fixed to said hopper at a point spaced from the intermediate part of the spring and the other end of each spring being fixed to a base at a point on said-spring spaced from the intermediate part of the spring, and a solenoid fixed to the base and having an armature fixed to said hopper whereby said hopper is vibrated when intermittent alternating current is supplied to said solenoid.

6. A vibratory conveyor comprising a generally cylin drical hopper having a helical track disposed therein, a base, springs, said hopper being supported in spaced relation to said base by means of said springs, each said spring having an intermediate portion and two end portions, one said end portion being bent at an angle to said intermediate portion, said bent end portion of each said spring being disposed radially of said hopper, one said end of each said spring being xedly attached to said hopper and the other said end being i'ixedly attached to said base, and rneans to exert an intermittent force on said hopper to deflect said springs whereby said hopper is vibrated in a helical path to move articles of manufacture along said track.

7. The conveyor recited in claim 6 wherein both said ends of each said spring are bent at an angle to said intermediate portion.

8. The conveyor recited in claim 7 wherein said means exerting said force is an electrical solenoid having a part thereof supported on said base and disposed axially of said hopper and an armature is attached to said hopper and energized by said solenoid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,858,328 Heymann et al. May 17, 1932 2,053,585 Toepfer Sept. 8, 1936 2,344,450 Page Mar. 14, 1944 2,661,833 SpurlinV Dec. 8, 1953 2,662,192 Weyandt Dec. 8, 1953 2,688,807 Ginther Sept. 14, 1954 

